Russ Lanoie: Private Property, No Trespassing

A couple of years ago I saw a dilapidated mobile home being torn down and the home site cleared of debris and put up for sale. It didn’t take long before someone bought the property and made arrangements for a new mobile home on the site. But I was puzzled by the “Private Property, No Trespassing” sign that soon appeared, knowing that the only things that remained were the well and septic system that I’d helped install back in the 1980s. It also was clear that this was not a public park, so why the need for such an announcement?

I heard that the new owner claimed it would be his vacation home where he could move in once he retired. However, shortly after the home was finished, a real estate sign appeared in front of it, coincidentally with his wife’s name on it. Although that sign soon disappeared and new vehicles appeared in the driveway, the No Trespassing sign remains to this day. I still wonder what there is on that property that the message might instead serve as an invitation to explore what might warrant such a warning.